


A little bit warm

by ThreeDaysofRain



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Cassian is confused, Developing Relationship, Hugging, Hurt/Comfort, K2 falls ill, M/M, Robot/Human Relationships, Sick Character, Sickfic, fluff and nonsense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 10:29:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9487271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThreeDaysofRain/pseuds/ThreeDaysofRain
Summary: “Kaytoo? You alright?”There had been a high-pitched shout from the cockpit, unexpected enough to dispel the thought. K-2SO rarely varied his modulation in the most dire of circumstances, and Cassian wasn’t aware he spoke at all when alone. Instead of an answer, Kay produced a similar outburst again, and Cassian quirked an eyebrow, amused. If it had been anyone else, he would’ve sworn it sounded like a sneeze.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I adore sickfic, I adore Cassian, I really wanted Cassian to get sick... and then this is what happened :3

Cassian was on self-assigned weapons maintenance when he heard it the first time. He was edgy, sleepless, and polishing away what little carbon buildup had accrued in the ship’s ion blasters was more restful than staring at the roof of his bunk. Only this night, it didn’t seem to be working. His last disguise was still with him, the Imperial officer who’d slipped an error code into the right hyperdrive. It wouldn’t take long for the risk to pay off, a lot longer for Cassian to forget.

“Kaytoo? You alright?”

There had been a high-pitched shout from the cockpit, unexpected enough to dispel the thought. K-2SO rarely varied his modulation in the most dire of circumstances, and Cassian wasn’t aware he spoke at all when alone. Instead of an answer, Kay produced a similar outburst again, and Cassian quirked an eyebrow, amused. If it had been anyone else, he would’ve sworn it sounded like a sneeze.

“All good in here?” Cassian poked his head into the cabin, surprised to find the droid still working on the backup transmitter. K-2 had been inspecting and re-circuiting wires since they’d landed, a task that usually took less than an hour. But then, Cassian considered, maybe droids had off-days too.

“I believe so,” K-2 affirmed, staring at him askance. “Is everything ‘all good’ out there?”

Cassian gave a guilty grin- his look toward the disassembled transmitter hadn’t been as subtle as he hoped.

“I thought I heard you yell.”

Cassian expected another cagey reply for this too, and was surprised when the droid appeared to wince instead.

“Am I disturbing you?”

“What? No.” Cassian laughed, stopped slouching and went to him. “Not at all. I’m grateful for the distraction.”

He placed a hand on Kaytu’s shoulder, gave a light squeeze. They were still testing the waters with physical cues of reassurance, though unpredictably, it was so far Kay who more often sought and returned them.

On this occasion, however, the droid pulled away. Cassian frowned. K-2’s outer plating had felt distinctly overheated, incongruent with the regulated cabin airflow. Cassian reached again- no nonsense this time- but Kay responded with a gesture of alarm, distanced himself as rapidly as he could, and made the same involuntary exclamation that had brought Cassian over in the first place.

Cassian’s eyes widened in astonishment. He knew sentient droids were as capable of learning new behaviors as people. But those behaviors were enacted by choice. _This_ , or what it seemed to be, was a biological echo that served no practical purpose for a synthetic. What perplexed him more, was that K-2 did not seem nearly as confused by the whole episode as he was.

“I’m sorry?” Kaytu offered, after several seconds of Cassian staring.

“We need to take a look at your interaction patterning,” Cassian managed, then bent under the flight console for his utility kit. “I can probably get in without a full shutdown, you can guide me through. Or I can use the microscan. Actually, it could be a data issue- or a protocol clash. We might need to run diagnostics.”

He was exhausted, ill at ease. In truth, the rebel had no idea what could cause such a glitch, and couldn’t ignore the fact that his programming was likely at the heart of it.

“Or,” said K-2, his tone pointedly dry. “You could just ask me.”

Distracted, Cassian glanced up from his rummaging. Had Kay’s voice become noticeably _husky_? Cassian ran a hand over his mouth. Maybe he really did need to sleep.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” K-2 tried again, gentler this time. “My internal cooling system misaligned due to rapid troposphere modification, it self-corrects within 79 minutes. The replicated mannerisms are less uncommon than you think- a symptom of spending too much time with organics, really.”

Cassian wondered if this was an attempt at a joke. Kay didn’t pause long enough for him to decide.

“My imprinting code occasionally adds observed aspects of human behavior into my communication relays, to allow for a broader spectrum of non-verbal understanding between myself and nonsynthetics.”

Cassian set the toolkit aside. Now that Kaytu had pointed it out, he could hear the faint whirr of the droid’s thermal regulators at work, the sound oddly comforting in the grounded still.

“So, what you’re telling me,” said Cassian, slowly getting to his feet, “is that you have a temperature and your coding wants me to know?"

“ _Want_ , is a relative concept,” the droid stated crisply. “And, given our circumstances, I can assure you that I do not, intentionally or otherwise, _want-_ ” he fell silent when Cassian wrapped an arm loosely around his middle.

“Is there anything I can do?” Cassian asked quietly. The warmth of Kaytu’s chest wasn’t altogether unpleasant.

Kay tipped his head down, stared at the smaller figure. Hesitated. One arm shyly tucked around Cassian’s shoulders in return.

“This. Is… fine.”

Cassian hid a smile, brought his other hand to rest at the solid of Kay’s back. The droid’s posture, naturally unaccommodating to such closeness, eventually drooped against Cassian’s arms, his eyes dimmed to resting mode. Cassian listened to the humming of his central core, steadied his grip when Kaytu leaned into him.

“I’m keeping you up,” K-2 said eventually.

“You’re keeping me company,” Cassian murmured. They stared over the dashcon, the tangle of wires and the horizon brightening beyond.

He didn't let go.

 


End file.
